After 3 months in Morocco, a short ferry ride across the Med took us back into Spain.  Our previous experience of Spain was fleeting as we needed to get out of Europe before our 90 day stay expired and, in our hurry to reach Morocco, we drove from the French/Spanish border to the southern port of Algeciras in a matter of days.  Obviously this was not ideal and, unfortunately, this time started in a similar vein as a family wedding in Barcelona, Catalonia meant we were once again reacquainted with Spain's excellent motorway network.  Disembarking the Algeciras ferry we first needed a get Bob some TLC.   Trying to get Bob serviced at short notice is always tricky as good mechanics seem to be in strong demand and are normally booked up for weeks in advance.  We have found the best solution is to locate a reputable garage specialising in 4x4s and park out front where Bob never fails to pique some interest and, keen to have a closer look, a space in the diary magically appears.  Spain has long been renowned for its laid-back attitude which often translates to shorter opening hours, long lunches and a relaxed approach to time and punctuality but, our tactics worked and Bob got some well needed attention before racing north. 

It was our niece and her Argentinian groom getting married and it was a great opportunity to catch up with family, some of whom we hadn’t seen for quite some time.  Travelling full-time means that we are inevitably absent from normal family get-togethers and it was great to re-connect with family and new friends, not least the large contingent of Argentinians seemingly still cerlebrating their recent World Cup win.  Ian's twin sister and her partner had made the trip over from Australia for the event and had decided to join us on the road for a couple of weeks in a hired campervan.  So now, not only did we have some company for a while but we finally had the chance to get to know Spain a bit better.

Spain is the 4th largest country in Europe (1st, 2nd and 3rd being Russia, Ukraine and France), with a population of 47.1 million living on the mainland, 48 inhabited islands and two exclaves in Morocco.  In the Spanish cave of Atapuerca, just off the Atlantic coast, Spain has evidence of being the cradle of Western Europe humanity with the discovery of a flint tool and early human fossils dating from about 1.2 million years ago.  A recurring theme in early Spanish history is Spain’s susceptibility to foreign invasion which includes the Romans, Celts, Visigoths, Arabs and French.  A Roman occupation of 700 years gave Spain roads, architecture in the form of temples, aqueducts, bridges and the Latin language, whilst the 800 years under Moor rule further developed the thousands of kilometres of irrigation channels across the country, was responsible for the building of great palaces, castles and mosques which today are amongst Spain’s greatest tourist attractions and the introduction of many new crops which continue to contribute to Spain’s economy.  Following mass expulsion of the Moors, Spain eventually emerged independently unified and during the 16th and 17th century was one of the greatest political and military powers in both Europe and the World.  This golden age was a time of global exploration and colonial expansion and the Spanish Empire extended to vast territories that stretched across the Caribbean Islands, half of South America, almost all of Central America, most of North America, the Phillipines, North and Western Morocco, Western Sahara, and Equatorial Guinea.  The downfall of this vast Empire mostly occurred during the American wars of independence in the early 19th century when most of the acquired territory was lost, a situation not helped by the intrusion of Napoleonic forces into Spain cutting off effective connections with her Empire.  Today, only the North African exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla and the Canary Islands off the African coast remain under the Spanish flag.

Today Spain is divided into 17 autonomous regions offering buzzing cities, beautiful beaches, diverse landscapes, artistic treasures, charming medieval villages, fiestas, gastronomic delights and, of course, plenty of wine. 

After final congratulations to the bride and groom we were back on the road, our team of three now expanded to five as we headed to one of Spain’s unforgettable destinations; the Pyrenees.

The Pyrenees has been one of our favourite places ever since we first visited back in 2012.  The combination of scenic walking trails set amongst snow-capped mountains and charming stone villages nestled in lush valleys has drawn us back a few times over the years and we were excited to revisit.  Forming a high border between Spain and France, this mountain range of craggy peaks extends for more than 430 km from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in the east to the Bay of Biscay on the Atlantic Ocean in the West, running through the Spanish regions of Catalonia, Aragon and Navarre. 

The area is surprisingly unexploited and it is easy to escape onto a network of seldom-travelled paths, climbing to hidden lakes and high peaks.  Spain is home to over 100 long-distance walking routes known as Gran Recorrido (Great Tour).  These 50km+ trails are recognisable by red and white striped waymarks and well maintained by the Federacion Espanola de Alpinismo (Spanish Mountain Federation).   The GR11 is a 840 km trail that traverses the entire length of the Pyrenees, a trail divided into 46 day long sections making use of numerous mountain refugios and passing through some of the best landscape that Spain has to offer.  Although we have hiked various sections of the trail on previous visits we have yet to complete it in its entirely on one long multi-day trek, something that is quite high up on our bucket list but not on the cards for this visit.

The GR trails aren’t the only hiking options in Spain, there are a seemingly never ending choice of walks marked with the green and white Sendero Local (Local Trail) or yellow and white Sendero de Pequeno Recorrido (Short Walk Path).  And the best bit?  All of the paths are open to dogs!

Another appeal of these Spanish mountains is their accessibility.  There are a number of towns from which to explore the mountains and our initial starting point was the valley town of Benasque in the heart of the Pyrenees. This charming stone town is surrounded by the highest concentration of peaks over 3,000m in the entire Pyrenees and typical to other towns dotted throughout the area offers basic services and a plethora of camping shops.  It sits within the Aragon region of north-east Spain, an area best known for Catherine of Aragon, who foolishly married Henry VIII of England; Catherine’s father, Ferdinand of Aragon, whose marriage to Isabella, queen of Castile and Leon in the 15th century, led to the unification of Spain and the renowned artist Goya.

The region has a rich architectural history dating back to pre-roman times which can be witnessed in the medieval towns and villages that dot the landscape, many of the villages regularly making it to the final in the competition for Spain’s most beautiful village.  There were surprisingly few tourists around and walking the Ibon de Escarpinosa, set in the Posets-Maladeta Nature Park and rated as being one of the most beautiful walks in the area, we saw just four other hikers in the five hours that it took to complete.  Surrounded by such peaceful and beautiful scenery it would have been easy to stay a lot longer but our plan was to steadily progress west and onto our next stop, Torla and Spain’s oldest nature reserve the Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido.   Torla is yet another beautiful alpine-style village of slate-roofed houses clinging to the hillside above Rio Ara with a backdrop of the national park’s mountains.  Being slightly out of the peak season of July and August, the village was quiet and a great base from which to walk the Faja de Pelay a walk that we had done not once, but twice before – anyone would think there was a shortage of trails – but in our defence this particular walk does showcase the absolute best of the Pyrenees.  Plunging canyons, towering cliffs, thick forests, rivers, waterfalls and snow peaks, a non-stop spectacle of nature’s beauty. 

Our final experience of the Pyrenees (on this trip) was the Valles de Hecho, a tucked away river valley in Aragon’s far northwest corner.  Less visited by tourists and therefore more basic in facilities, the area is nevertheless a walker’s paradise with access to many of the surrounding peaks amid gorgeous scenery. 

If all this sounds too good to be true, you would be correct.  As stunning as this part of Spain is, the unpredictable weather, typical of mountainous regions, is challenging with huge swathes of moist air blowing in from the Atlantic.  The frequent and heavy rain/hail storms have resulted in nearly all our attempts at camping to be a complete wash-out and we have been relying more and more on casa rurales.  These off the beaten track, self-catering accommodations, have been mostly excellent, the only exception being the wonderfully isolated stone house that obviously had a nest of maggots somewhere.  Everything was fine until we turned the heating on and lit a wood fire, six hours later and during the rest of our three day stay we were besieged by a never-ending stream of flies that just kept appearing regardless of how many Ian caught between his clapping hands – something he is surprisingly good at!

The time with our new travelling companions ended all too soon and as they headed back to Barcelona we continued towards the Atlantic and into the wine region of La Rioja.

La Rioja derives its name from the Oja river, a tributary of the second largest river in Spain, the Ebro.  Situated in a valley surrounded by mountain ranges and criss-crossed by rivers, the area has probably the richest lands in Spain and is universally famous for its wine production.  It is estimated that this second smallest region of Spain (5,000km²) has over 500 wineries and a history of wine making that stretches back to the 11th century BC.  The Ancient Romans founded many of the Rioja vineyards, the reputation of the wines carried by the many pilgrims passing through the region on their way to the shrine of St James at Santiago de Compostela.  Today, Rioja is a main contributor to Spain’s economy which is probably not surprising considering it is one of the largest producers of wine in the world. 

The picture-perfect fortified medieval town of Laguardia, yet another one continually vying for the most beautiful village in Spain, is set atop a hill surrounded by an ancient wall. Once inside the wall, the layout of the village is not unusual of its era and consists of three narrow elongated main streets connected by bisecting smaller streets or squares.  What sets it apart, however, are the network of tunnels and passageways that exist underground, originally used as a defence tactic, they are now the perfect place to store wine made in the surrounding vineyards.  Now a wealthy hamlet full of gourmet restaurants, charming small hotels, wine bars and fantastic views it was the perfect place for us to spend a Sunday afternoon sat in one of its narrow cobblestone alleys enjoying a refreshing white Rioja.  Circumstances improved even further when a break in the constant storms meant that we didn’t have to go through the hassle of finding accommodation for the night and were able to wild camp off an isolated mountain road overlooking the fertile valley below.

Slightly ahead of the short tourist season of July and August we arrived into Potes, Cantabria, a pretty medieval town and one of the access points to the Picos de Europa.  Cantabria is part of “Green Spain” and there was no disputing the claim as we hadn’t been surrounded by such lush greenness since leaving the UK.  Correctly assuming that we were still in an area of unpredictable and wet weather we based ourselves just outside Potes at the aptly named Apartamentos Los Picos de Europe, in the sleepy mountain village of Colio.  With outstanding views in all directions, this would have to be some of the best accommodation (excluding Bob) that we have enjoyed and was an excellent base from which to explore the area.  The Picos de Europa, a national park located in the Cantabrian Mountains, straddles the regions of Asturias, Cantabria and Leon.  An area of wild limestone landscape rising up off the Atlantic coast with over 200 peaks, 14 of which exceed 2,600m, divided into three great massifs.  Acidic rain weathering on the limestone rock has resulted in amazing formations, steep-sided rifts and fissures and some of the world’s deepest caves.  The lower slopes include sweeping fields and forests with a wide range of wildlife including the elusive Cantabrian brown bears. 

The park is strewn with walking trails and we clocked up the kilometres discovering a slow and rustic way of life.  The scenery wowed us as we walked the most spectacular and well-known hiking route in the area, La Ruta del Cares followed by a climb up the zig-zag path from La Hermida Gorge to the tiny mountain village of Treviso, famous for producing one of Spain’s best blue cheeses, Picon Bejes-Treviso The Via Ferrata, also at La Hermida Gorge offered us yet another great experience which you can read about here.

Crossing into the Asturias region, the scenery remained much the same.  Still within Green Spain and with mountains covering more than four-fifths of the region, the area is perhaps more notable for being the sole patch of Spain never conquered by the Moors.  It is home to the Lakes of Covadonga, two glacial lakes Enol and Ercina located 1,000m above sea level right at the centre of the Picos National Park.  If ever there was paradise on earth for cows this would be it.  Grazing on vast open meadows surrounded by mountains, the docile mountain cattle far outnumber any visitors to the area and the sound of their bells was a constant as we walked around the lakes.

Moving on to Cangas de Onis, we had just one more thing to do before heading away from the mountains and onto the coast.  The descent of the Sella River.  The International Descent of Sella River is the most popular celebration in Asturias and one of the largest canoeing races of its kind in the world.  Held on the first Saturday of August, the race starts in the town of Arriondas and makes its way along a 20km stretch of the river Sella to finish at the seaside resort of Ribadsella.  Amazingly, the race has been going since 1933 and is now the centre point of a four-day festival.  We were a little early to take part in the race itself but the opportunity to kayak down the river is available all year round and although dogs are encouraged to participate the advised 20kg weight limit meant that a day on the river was not on the cards for Leroy.  Once we had been given our kayaks, access onto the river was an exciting push off down a steep ramp and onto the water.  I went first and, keen to see Ian descend, battled against the strong downstream current to stay in a position where I could watch.  Ian started off ok but for some reason about half-way down the ramp he started rocking from side to side and the outcome was inevitable as the minute his kayak hit the water it overturned pitching Ian beneath the surface.  In retrospect it was just as well that he popped up fairly quickly as I was doubled over with laughter and would have made a hopeless rescuer.  Eventually back in his boat, we started our journey downstream but perhaps still a bit disorientated Ian headed straight into a bubbling mass of white water and promptly overturned again.  What I would have given to have been holding the GoPro and what a shame that Ian, who did have it, had yet to turn it on.  On the bright side, had his entertaining antics taken place just 5 minutes later, he would have had the embarrassment of performing in front of a group of about 40 school kids that came down the ramp with no issues whatsoever to join us on the river.  The remainder of the descent was uneventful in comparison but what a fun day!

Two years on the road and there are no signs that the novelty is wearing off, in fact quite the opposite, as the longer we travel the more we are relaxing into this new way of life.  Despite living in the UK for half of our lives there is much of Europe that we have yet to explore and we can’t wait to see what happens next.